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Climate Change Drives 80% of U.S. Coastal Flood Days, Tripling Frequency Since 2000s

Climate Change Drives 80% of U.S. Coastal Flood Days, Tripling Frequency Since 2000s

A new analysis by Climate Central, extending peer-reviewed research through 2025, reveals that human-caused sea level rise is responsible for approximately eight out of every ten days of coastal flooding across 71 U.S. locations. The frequency of coastal flooding has more than tripled since the 2000s, reaching an average of 14 days per year between 2020 and 2025. This increase is attributed to rising sea levels, which are a direct consequence of climate change, primarily due to warming oceans causing seawater to expand and melting glaciers and ice sheets. The share of flood days linked to human-caused sea level rise has significantly increased from about 40% in the 1950s to 81% today across 34 stations with historical data. Locations like Wilmington, NC, experience 108 days of coastal flooding annually, with about 76% of these days directly attributable to human-caused sea level rise.
Wilmington Star-NewsWilmington Star-News
NOAA proposal could change protections for NC right whales, turtles

NOAA proposal could change protections for NC right whales, turtles

The Trump administration is proposing rule changes to boost US seafood competitiveness. But some fear they could endanger N.C. whales and sea turtles.
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Global Heat Season Extends Beyond Traditional Summer, NASA Study Reveals

Global Heat Season Extends Beyond Traditional Summer, NASA Study Reveals

A new analysis of 45 years of global climate data, led by climatologist Catherine Ivanovich at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, indicates that extreme heat seasons are significantly lengthening across approximately half of the world’s land area. This extension is occurring unevenly, pushing into fall in some regions and into spring in others, a pattern that cannot be fully explained by a simple rise in average temperatures. The study, published in the journal AGU Advances, compared data from the 1980s with the period between 2015 and 2024. It found that the extreme dry heat season grew longer across 50% of the world’s land, and the humid heat season across 48%. For instance, in the western United States, eastern China, northern Africa, and eastern Europe, the post-summer extreme days increased more rapidly, while in western Europe, southern Africa, and northwestern India, the pre-summer extreme days saw a faster rise. Phoenix, Arizona, experienced its dry heat season shifting later into the fall...
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Climate Change Drives 80% of U.S. Coastal Flood Days

Climate Change Drives 80% of U.S. Coastal Flood Days

A recent analysis by Climate Central reveals that human-caused climate change is responsible for approximately 80% of coastal flood days in the United States over the past decade (2016-2025). Rising sea levels, driven by warming oceans and melting ice sheets, have significantly increased the frequency of high tide flooding, also known as nuisance or sunny day flooding. This type of flooding disrupts coastal communities, damages infrastructure, and poses health risks. The study highlights that the frequency of coastal flooding has tripled since the 2000s, with an average of 14 flood days annually between 2020 and 2025 across 71 U.S. locations. Coastal areas such as Wilmington, NC, and Kahului, HI, are among the most affected, experiencing dozens of flood days annually, with a majority attributed to climate change. The findings underscore the urgent need for emissions reductions to mitigate future impacts.
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Festival for the Eno Alters Schedule Due to Climate Concerns and Accessibility Projects

Festival for the Eno Alters Schedule Due to Climate Concerns and Accessibility Projects

The Festival for the Eno, an event that has historically drawn thousands to the Eno River banks around the Fourth of July for nearly five decades, is undergoing significant changes. The Eno River Association, the organization behind the festival, has decided to move the event from its traditional summer timing due to increasingly extreme heat and unpredictable weather patterns in North Carolina. This year, the festival did not take place in July. Instead, the association will host a smaller 60th-anniversary celebration on Saturday, featuring a fall benefit concert and a free community event in downtown Durham. The decision was influenced by an internal review initiated after Executive Director Ryan Fehrman joined the organization, which also considered rising operational costs, with the 2025 festival budget approaching $400,000. The festival's traditional location is also undergoing accessibility improvements, which would have conflicted with a July event, providing an additional reason for the schedule re...
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U.S. Drought Monitor Highlights Ongoing Drought Challenges

U.S. Drought Monitor Highlights Ongoing Drought Challenges

The U.S. Drought Monitor, a collaborative effort by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), USDA, NOAA, and NASA, continues to track and report on drought conditions across the United States. The initiative aims to mitigate the effects of drought on people, the environment, and the economy by providing up-to-date data and fostering drought planning. The NDMC works with stakeholders at all levels, including ranchers, communities, and governments, to enhance drought preparedness and resilience. The latest updates emphasize the importance of monitoring and planning to address the ongoing challenges posed by drought conditions nationwide.
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North Carolina Peatland Restoration Project Aims to Curb Carbon Emissions

North Carolina Peatland Restoration Project Aims to Curb Carbon Emissions

Investors and scientists are undertaking a significant project to restore a 23-square-mile tract of peatland in North Carolina's Inner Banks. This initiative aims to reduce climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions and regenerate native habitats. Decades ago, 50 miles of ditches were dug for an abandoned farming venture, which drained much of the water from thousands of years of accumulated peat. This drainage left the site vulnerable to drought and wildfires, altered native habitats, and caused it to emit 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Colorado-based Pantheon Regeneration plans to restore its property by blocking off ditches to control the water table, which is expected to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Following this, invasive species will be culled, and native grasses, flowers, and other plants will be replanted. Peatlands, though only accounting for 3% of the global land surface, store about one-third of the Earth’s carbon dioxide, more than all forests combined. However, when ...
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NASA and European Partners Utilize Satellites to Enhance Hurricane Forecasting Amidst Strong El Niño

NASA and European Partners Utilize Satellites to Enhance Hurricane Forecasting Amidst Strong El Niño

NASA, in collaboration with its European partners, is employing the Sentinel-6B satellite and its predecessor, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, to gather precise sea level height measurements. This initiative is crucial for understanding and predicting the impacts of a stronger-than-normal El Niño event, which began in the middle of the year and is now reaching significant strength, comparable to events in 1997 and 2015. The satellites are part of the Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission, which has continuously monitored Earth's changing seas since the early 1990s. Data collected by these satellites, including ocean height, wave size, and marine wind speed, is being used to improve hurricane forecasts and understand how El Niño redistributes ocean heat, affecting sea levels and hurricane activity. Sentinel-6B began delivering low-latency data to scientists on July 15, which will eventually be integrated into research models to enhance weather predictions.
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North Carolina Peatlands Undergo Restoration to Combat Climate Change and Preserve Biodiversity

North Carolina Peatlands Undergo Restoration to Combat Climate Change and Preserve Biodiversity

In North Carolina's Inner Banks, a significant effort is underway to restore 23 square miles of critical peatland. Decades of drainage for abandoned farming ventures have left the peatlands vulnerable to drought and wildfires, altering native habitats and releasing 130,000 tons of climate-warming carbon dioxide annually. Pantheon Regeneration, a Colorado-based company, is leading this restoration project, aiming to reverse the damage by blocking ditches to control the water table, culling invasive species, and replanting native flora. This initiative is modeled after successful projects by nonprofits and government agencies, including the adjacent Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest peatland restoration efforts in the U.S. Pantheon plans to fund future land purchases and restoration efforts by selling carbon credits to corporations seeking to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, with a goal to restore and preserve a million acres of peatland from Virginia to northern Florida over t...
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Exceptional Drought Conditions Persist in South Carolina

Exceptional Drought Conditions Persist in South Carolina

South Carolina is currently experiencing significant drought conditions, as indicated by the U.S. Drought Monitor. The state is facing exceptional drought (D4) in some areas, with a 9-month Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) of -2.0 or less. Other regions are classified under extreme drought (D3), with SPI values ranging from -1.9 to -1.6. These classifications are based on changes in precipitation and moisture over the past three months, as well as historical data from 1979 to the present. The drought map integrates multiple indices and is produced collaboratively by NOAA, USDA, NASA, and the National Drought Mitigation Center. The data is used for disaster declarations and water supply planning.
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Summer 2026 Sets Record as Hottest in U.S. History

Summer 2026 Sets Record as Hottest in U.S. History

The summer of 2026 has officially been declared the hottest on record for the contiguous United States, according to NOAA. The average temperature for meteorological summer (June–August) reached 74.4°F (23.6°C), surpassing the previous records set in 1936 and 2021 by 0.4°F (0.2°C). This summer also saw widespread above-average temperatures nationwide, with nighttime minimum temperatures remaining unusually high. Several states, including Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, broke or tied their own summer temperature records. The heat dome during the July 4 holiday brought temperatures exceeding 100°F (37.8°C) and heat indices over 110°F (43.3°C) in parts of the East Coast and Midwest, leading to canceled events. Additionally, the Colorado River Basin experienced record-low water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead due to a worsening drought.
AP NewsAP News
Global heat stuck on high. Scientists say August was Earth's hottest month they've measured.

Global heat stuck on high. Scientists say August was Earth's hottest month they've measured.

The European climate service Copernicus said the Earth just sweltered through its hottest month on record in August